BLOG
Consumption trends 2025: what consumers are looking for in fruit and vegetables
The fruit and vegetable sector is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by consumers who are increasingly aware, attentive to health and environmental impact. In 2025, consumer preferences reveal a demand for products that go beyond simple nutrition, embracing values of sustainability, well-being and transparency.
According to the Coop 2024 Report – Winter Edition, during 2025, 71% of Italians will favor long-cooking preparations, a sign of the rediscovery of the value of “home dining” and traditional cuisine. The ideal food for this year is defined as healthy (66%), simple (53%) and traditional (51%). These data highlight how, despite economic uncertainties and international tensions, the modern consumer is making a concrete commitment to ensure a balanced diet, even in a context of increasing inflation.
Young people represent a particularly dynamic segment: 85% of those under 25 show a marked interest in plant-based products, compared to 70% of those over 26, indicating a propensity for alternatives that combine well-being and sustainability. In this scenario, packaging and communication play a strategic role: innovative packaging, eco-friendly materials and transparent messages are fundamental tools to enhance the quality and freshness of fruit and vegetable products. At the same time, the population groups with lower incomes show a tendency to contain spending on fruits and vegetables, favouring private label (MDD) offers and frequent purchases at discounters. The duality of the market – growing for premium segments and under pressure for less well-off families – represents a significant challenge for producers and retailers, who must know how to adapt to heterogeneous needs.
These consumption dynamics are not only a response to economic needs, but also a reaction to environmental challenges: sustainability becomes an essential criterion, with increasing attention to the origin and quality of the products. Companies in the food chain are called upon to invest in innovation, training and improvement of staff conditions to face increasingly fierce competition, both in retail and in e-commerce channels.
The consumer trend for 2025 in the fruit and vegetable sector reflects a profound transformation: on the one hand, the consumer is determined to ensure well-being through quality food choices; on the other, economic and social challenges require particular attention to savings and sustainability. These elements outline a landscape in which collaboration between producers, distributors and retailers will be essential to make fruit and vegetables increasingly in line with the new expectations of an evolving market.
